The North London Power-Shift

It didn't hold Arsenal back at all. Man City and Chelsea having bottomless buckets of cash has held them back. I'll take being held back if it involved a few years of CL qualification.

 

one day the penny might drop!....

 

Of course it held them back. Arsenals spending power has been severely hindered over the last ten years. Up until a year or two before moving ground they were arguably the best side in England. As I said before, they had a good enough squad to keep them competitive and in the champions league. Quite a different starting point to where you are now.

 

I'm not arguing with him, he has no argument. I'm simply here batting his wum attempts back into his face, quite calmly and effortlessly. Not sure why you've got such a Bee in your bonnet about it to be honest.

 

I have a bee in my bonnet about it, cause every time I look at threads like this it's you two having the exact same back and forward. It is soooo boring.

 

You have the choice not to look at it you know

 

It did hold us back, the club made it clear that they had to sell their most valuable player each season to balance the books. We qualified for the CL each year despite of this and because of Wenger's brilliance. We've got to a stage now where we can spend £30m on a player, but for the last decade we were a selling club.

Spurs will find the same challenge of trying to maintain a decent performance on the pitch as well as paying for the new stadium, the difference is you've already been in the wilderness for decades, so it shouldn't make much difference

 

Until I look at it, I don't know what it is.

 

You can't say the money that Chelsea and then City have come into in the same period has had no effect. Without that, you'd probably have a title/runners up position or two in the intervening years. There was also for a while a baffling reluctance of Wenger to spend what money you had. Your board would say there is x money to spend and until Ozil there was little actually spent? Or am I misunderstanding the history here? Financially it doesn't make sense that you had nothing for so many years, then suddenly £130m is available. Not great financial planning if true.

 

I expect the Sale of Harry Kane will fund the stadium payments for the first year or two.

 

If you're saying it's the same old boring stuff again and again, then you should know what it is, therefore you don't need to look at it.

 

I'm not saying that City and Chav money had no effect, quite the opposite. I agree that but for the obscene cash injection into both of their clubs Arsenal probably would have had another title or two under their belts. As for Wenger, he won't spend unless he's certain that player will improve the club. Unlike Liverpool, Spurs, Man Utd who have spent big on players that have flopped. Also much was made of Arsenal supposed 'cash surplus' but that figure was also used for operating costs, it wasn't like we had £130m spare change to go and spend it all on players.

Arsenal have done the sensible thing financially, paid for the stadium, paid off our debts whilst maintaining a competitive edge on the pitch and qualifying for CL football each season and not spending stupid money on players. Now we're in a position to spend again and with a core of young British players at the club, peppered with world class talent from abroad, it's a perfect platform for Arsenal to challenge Chelsea and City again.

If there's any power shift in North London, it might well be that Arsenal are starting to shift further ahead of the Spuds.

 

Ozil?....

 

Who?

 

You remember. That World Cup winner who cost The Goons £40+mil....

 

Ozil is World Class, unlike the £60m the spuds spent on Soldado and Lamela

 

Er....he hasn't shown too much world class playing for your lot!....

 

3 goals in his last 6 (1 in 2 strike rate) and joint highest assist provider in Europe along with Messi over the last two seasons says otherwise

 

I know SD (and probably others) are bored with PESKIE's persistent obsession with me, but I can't help myself! I love a good turkey-shoot!

 

Ah! You've admitted it! You've admitted that there might be a power-shift one way or the other.

That is exactly the reason why this debate has to be had, right here and right now!

Thank you for finally joining in, PESKIE. Perhaps, now, we can all move forward with the kernel of the argument, rather than boring people with our pointless bickering? I'd certainly love that.